Gas.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.FRANKLIN PIERCE PETERSON, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

Patented Apr. 28-, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. FRANKLIN 1. PETER- sox, a citizen of'the United States, residing at Tulsa, in the county ofTulsa and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Gas, of which the following is a specification. i

My invention relates to a composition of matter comprising anew commercialproduct, gaseous at normal temperatures and atmospheric pressure, butwapable of beingliquefied and thereafter held in containers in the form of liquefied gas atnormal tem peratures under pressures practicable for storage and transportation purposes.

Broadly speaking my new product com.- prises a gas mainly made up of a mixture of any two or more aliphatic hydrocarbons, provided, however, that each of the gases involved in the mixture shall havethe characteristics I have outlined above, that is to. say that each shall be gaseous under normal temperatures and pressures, and that each shall also have the capability of being confined as a liquid at normal temperatures and at pressures practicable for storing and shipping purposes.

More specifically my new composition of matter essentially consists of a mixture of certain intermediate members of the parafiin or saturated hydrocarbon series; namely, ethene, propane and butane. Under normal conditions of temperature, a mixture of ethane. propane and butane or any two thereof, is gaseous at atmospheric pressure,

but may be maintained as a liquid under pressures of between 50 and 500 pounds per square inch, according tothe temperature and the relative proportions of the ingredients.

An important feature of my invention resides in the fact that my new composition of matter is included among others in the make-up of the so-called wet natural gas-by which I mean the gas which exudes or may be pumped from oil wells. As is generally well known, this natural gas although obtainable in vast quantities, in large fiart has been heretofore, a waste product.

epeated efforts have been made during the developmentof the petroleum industry-to in some way utilize the valuable illuminating and fuel properties of this gas at points remote from the well from which the gas is obtained.

Wet natural gas contains a considerable Application filed January 5, 191 4. cfial No. 810,388. I

quantity of methane, in additionto a number of other compounds 'of carbon and hydrogen, the most abundant of WlllCh are ethane,

propane, butane and pentane and hexane.

When this gas is cooled and compressed, certain liquid products separate and a liquid so formed has, in recent years, come into use under the name of natural as gasolene or casing-head gasolene. his product consists mainly of the higher members of the hydrocarbon family present in wet natural gas, and isa liquid and not a liquefied gas.

Except for the recovery of such liquids (which are carried its-vapors in the gas) it has heretofore been deemed impossible to make use of any considerable portion of the gas itself, except by piping it for consumption in its natural gaseous state in the immediate neighborhood of the source of its origin.

Repeated attempts have been made to supply liquefied natural gas as a commercial product in a container, but none of these attempts have proved successful for the reason that in the make-up of the gas there is a considerable proportion of methane. This gas in its natural state can be liquefied by cooling it below the critical temperature of methane and applying pressure, and the liquid product so obtained, can be drawn into a'container. As soon, however, as the contents of this container become warmed to a temperature above the criticaltemperature of methane (which is very low) a. considerable proportion of thembecomes gaseous,and the pressures developed are suchas to pre-' elude commercial handling.

My invention relates to a product secured by the elimination from natural as of those of its constituents, on the one and,

which render its existence in a liquid state at normal temperature impossible, (such as methane), and the elimination of those of.

its constituents, on the other hantLFhich are capable of existing as liquids at atmospheric pressures and normal temperatures (such as pentane and the higher paraflins).

More specifically by the separation of the ethane, propane and butane; i. c. the' intermediate members of the paraflin series.

The critical temperature of ethane is approximately nincty-thrce degrees Fahren- Elli nose-roe heit, and that ct two hundred ancl ten degrees l ahrenheit and that oil butane about three hunclrerl anrl twenty degrees Fahrenheit anrl each is gaseous under normal. conditions olt temperature aml pressure, and may he liquefied toy motlcrate pressures unrler normal conditions of temperature. A mixture of two or more of these constituents of natural freed from its permanent and gas liquicl constituents (such as the higher hydrocarbon compounds on the one hanrl anrl methane on the other) possesses all the qualities requisite for a gas to he supplied to the roars st in liquid term. My new product therefore may he hrietly clescriherl as mainly a mixture of tr-7o or more or those liquefiahle constituents oil natural which can he helcl es liquicls uncler reasonahle and practicable pressures at normal einperatures and which st normal temperaures ancl atmospheric pressures are gaseous. A very advantageous process for obtaining no new composition is the one rliscloserl in my ririor Patent l lo. l tlillfiti l, July 2, i912, although it. is ohrious that other processes might he availecl of for the production oil this product, without departing from the spirit of my invention. I

Among the various uses to which in new product may he applied are its use for machine shop work, for illumination, tor supplying and running gas engines, in cornloination. with oxygen tor welclinglorazing; and cutting, in surgery as an anesthetic, it heing of course understood that these uses are merely illustrative of the general scope ot the usefulness of the nrocluct sins are by no "propane approximately I means intended to include all the nieny uses to which may he put" l am aware that certain liquicl gases are now on the market, such as l intsch. These my new composition of matter herein (liscloseil first, in that their chemical composition is totally (lillerent because they consist mainly of unsaturatccl hydrocarbons and hydrocyclic compounds, but mainly because they are each of them obtained by an elsho rate and expensive process of cracking or ilestructii'ely distilling crude petroleum .rhercus iu v composition may he obtained by an appropriate rnethorl of elimination anal separation, clirect from natural Having thus rlescriherl my invention, What l claim as new anrl desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States. is:

1. A new composition of matter, consist ing of a liquefied mixture oil ethane propane and butane, produced from natural gas and substantially free from the other hy lrocarbons.

2. A new composition of matter consisting" of a mixture of easily liqueliahle con stituents of natural gas, substantially treeol of methane and of pentane and higher par afiins,

In witness whereof, ll hereunto suhscriloc my name to this specification in the presence ot two witnesses Fhlllllllrlll MERGE lhl h tlllllli llitnesses Geo. A. Ronnnrson lrlnrsr Snronn.

gases, however, are rzulically different from 

